Diplomacy Ain't What It Used to Be, Congressional Edition Posted by Heather Hurlburt

Between the G-20 and the Elite Eight, one could easily have missed moves in the Senate and House budget committees to slash dramatically the Administration's request for a major increase in foreign assistance.

And the efforts of a number of aid coalitions notwithstanding, you could have missed the response as well.  Rumor has it there wasn't much response from the OMB -- to the 7.5% cut, the harshest to any portion of Obama's request.  But who called Kent Conrad, Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, to complain and ask that the aid funds be given back?

Not just Secretary Clinton, who oversees them.

Secretary of Defense Gates, that's who, telling Conrad it was in the Pentagon's interest to have stronger civilian leadership in supporting recovering and poor societies.

“I have never before in my 22 years on the budget committee had the secretary of defense call me to support the budget for the State Department,” Conrad said.

Senators Kerry and Lugar are offering a floor amendment tomorrow to restore the money -- who says there's no bipartisanship in Washington?  Not clear whether it gets fully restored subsequently in House-Senate conference... but who says foreign aid doesn't have a constituency?

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